How To Get From Pula To Zadar (& Zadar to Pula)

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Post author SJ

Written by our local expert SJ

Sarah-Jane has lived in Croatia for 10+ years. SJ, as she is known, has been traveling the Balkans & beyond since 2000. She now shares her passion for traveling with her husband & kids.

If you want to get from Pula to Zadar, this post tells you the best way to get from Zadar to Pula or vice versa.

When it comes to seeing as much of Croatia as possible, there’s some excellent news coming your way – it’s easy! Croatia has easy road links and other transportation options available, so you can see even more of the country and experience its culture.

One of the most common questions is how to get from place to place. This includes getting from Pula to Zadar and back from Zadar to Pula.

Travel Tips First Time to Croatia - Zadar Croatia Travel Blog

Pula is located on Croatia’s glittering Istrian Peninsula and is home to the fabulous Arena (and many wonderful hotels). If you want to head from Pula to Zadar, read on, and we’ll tell you the best way to get from Zadar to Pula or vice versa.

Ferry From Pula To Zadar

Limited passenger catamaran services run from Pula Port to Zadar Port, and vice versa, all year around. Times vary slightly according to high season, low season, and off-season, so check online to avoid disappointment. During the high season, the catamaran leaves on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Cost-wise, you can expect to pay 27 euro from Pula to Zadar during the high season and 24 euro during the off-season.

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Pula To Zadar Drive

Hiring a car in Croatia is generally not difficult, and you’ll find many companies to choose from. This means you can cut costs by shopping around. If you select one of the larger companies, you could rent a car in one location and drop it off in another. However, if you’re venturing from Pula to Zadar and then back in one break, you can plan how long you need and hire your car accordingly.

You have two road options to drive from Pula to Zadar and back again. You can take the coast road (E65) and pass through Opatija, Rijeka and hug the coast to Zadar, or if time is of the essence, you can take the freeway (E71) all the way.

The coastal route is far more scenic. The drive from Zadar to Pula will take around 4 hours and 15 minutes by freeway and a little longer if you take the coast road. However, if you are traveling in summer, there can be lots of traffic, and you can be held up for a significant amount of time.

To drive from Zadar to Pula, you reverse this information.

Private Transfer From Zadar To Pula

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If you want to chill out and not think about navigating your way, the best option is to take a Zadar to Pula transfer. This takes the hassle out of travel, and you can sit back and relax with a knowledgeable and experienced driver at the wheel. The best part is you are in control of the journey, so if you want to stop, you can!

A private transfer from Pula to Zadar and reverse will pick you up from your hotel and take you directly to your destination without having to go and find the bus station or search for a car rental company. Easy!

Catching The Pula To Zadar Bus

Pula, Istria. Driving Zagreb to Dubrovnik

You can easily catch the bus from Pula to Zadar and Zadar to Pula, which will take only seven hours. Three major companies run this route: Brioni Pula, Flix Bus, and Autotrans. They all run once daily. Check online for exact times, as these change from time to time.

Overall, these buses are very comfortable, and although the journey is much longer by bus, it is less stressful than driving yourself. You can either book your ticket ahead of time online, or you can venture to the bus station in both Pula and Zadar to purchase your ticket.

Flights From Zadar To Pula & Pula To Zadar

The final and most expensive option is to fly from Pula to Zadar. This journey will take around half an hour, so it is the quickest of all transport options, but you need to factor airport time into that. Pula Airport is around 10 minutes from the center of town, and Zadar Airport is about 20 minutes by bus away from the center of Zadar. Also, you are limited by the number of flights per day.

As you can see, it’s not difficult to venture between Zadar and Pula, two cities well worth visiting.

Comments (6)

  1. Does anyone know when Croatia Airlines will release their summer 2022 schedule? There are no internal flights scheduled to book on their website. Considering a private transfer is about EUR300 I would think flying would be the cheapest and most direct unless you want to drive?
    Thanks,

  2. Low carbon options: you can hire a bareback or crewed sailboat in Pula or Zadar and sail to the other place, or anywhere else. Might take a week each way. Most of the boats have some sort of toilet so you don’t have to do what your hero, Greta Thunberg, and her crew did all the way across the Atlantic.

    Without a doubt you could also paddle yourself in a kayak. We did that in Greece, island to island, and the Adriatic is even calmer in the summer than the Ionian sea.

    I find that most people who ask for low-carbon options in conversation don’t follow through in reality, and do it just to virtue-signal. Not sure if you’re one of those or not, but in any case, here are two viable options for you to pursue, one of which I’ve actually done myself.

  3. surprised all options have heavy carbon footprints. no walking are biking options like other euro zone countries?

    1. 400 km by bike along the freeway or single lane roads – you’d be dead. Walking would take you at several days – if you didn’t get side-swiped by a semi-trailer on the way. Best to go by heavy carbon options if you ask me.

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